


Close to You

by Seanbiggerstaffrox



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Coda to 10x04, Episode Related, Fluff, M/M, kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 15:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12192420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seanbiggerstaffrox/pseuds/Seanbiggerstaffrox
Summary: (Coda to 10x04 "Entangled)The Cat does some thinking about why he and Kryten experience so many heightened emotions around each other





	Close to You

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my drafts for a while and figured I'd finally post it.

_ Heightened Emotions,  _ Kryten had kept saying all day when he’d been explaining how Kryten and Cat became entangled. 

Cat hadn’t thought about it too much until the whole groinal-exploder issue was over and he’d been trying to sleep, when he couldn’t help but start to wonder - why were their emotions always so heightened around each other?

Cat’s never been much of a thinker, but when he needs a quiet moment to consider things, he goes down to the lower decks, down where the cat city used to be on the original Red Dwarf. It’s not that he’s nostalgic, not really, but, well, he’s still a cat and cats like their quiet, familiar spaces.

Cat, dressed in his silk, blue pajamas and an embroidered dressing gown sits on one of the massive crates that tower ten feet up high. It’s dark in the room, still. He’d slinked in, not needing light to guide him, and he’d climbed up onto the crate. Now he stares up at the high window over where the catwalk from the next level up is, where he can see a small ring of glass showing distant, far off stars and the murky blackness of space. His hair has been restored to it’s previous glory thanks to a special concoction Kryten had given him, and it’s been tamed down from it’s usual coif into a silky, albeit sloppy, bun. He’s not as dressed-up as he’d usually be, because it’s a private space and it’s night and he’s feeling...well, he’s not sure. He’s just  _ feeling  _ and he doesn’t particularly like it, so he stares up at the sky. 

The door opens on the upper level and Cat watches with wide eyes as the object of his thoughts appears on the catwalk, dressed as he’s always dressed, looking how he always looks. The lights still stay off, since Kryten doesn’t need them either. Their eyes meet each other’s. 

“Ah, Cat.” Kryten says, surprised to see him.  

Cat flushes a little, conscious of his state of undress. He hadn’t expected to be seen like this, but he knows Kryten’s seen him in far worse states. “Kryten.” Cat says.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” They both say at the same time.

“I come here to think.” They repeat. 

“What a coincidence.” They say. 

They both sigh. 

Cat stands up on the crate, watching forlornly as one of his maroon slippers goes tumbling down the side. It’s not a problem for him to retrieve it, but Kryten says “let me” and Cat, usually so impatient, actually waits the ten minutes it takes Kryten to come down to fetch it. 

Cat grabs it easily from the air when Kryten tosses it. Then agile, flexible, graceful Cat jumps down. He doesn’t move so freely in front of the monkey and Goal-Post Head, driven by some strange, primal instinct to keep his movements secret from the prying eyes of humans. Kryten, he has less of a problem with. It’s like moving in front of furniture, just furniture that can walk and talk and also, somehow, has a heightened emotional state in tune with Cat’s. 

_ Why do they experience such heightened emotions around each other?  _

And it’s there again, as Cat meets Kryten’s eyes and sees the mech-head’s fibreglass orbs looking back at him. Sure, a lot of it could be explained by circumstance - it’s been a stressful day after all. But a lot of the coincidences showed up when everything was just...normal. Even now, Cat’s thoughtful and preoccupied, but he wouldn’t say his emotions should have been sufficiently heightened to spark another coincidence, and neither should Kryten’s. 

“What were you thinking about?” They both ask at the same time. 

“I couldn’t sleep.” Cat says. Kryten doesn’t say it, because Kryten doesn’t sleep. 

“That’s a symptom. Not a cause.” Kryten notes kindly. Cat sighs again. He doesn’t like sighing - it gives him wrinkles. Kryten’s giving him wrinkles. 

Cat looks down, at his casual dresswear. He scratches uncertainly at his neck. He doesn’t like thinking, it makes him feel ugly. “I should go plan my outfit for tomorrow.” He says. 

“Okay.” Kryten tells him. “Goodnight.” 

Cat moves to leave, but Kryten stops him by calling his name.  _ Close to You  _ by The Carpenters starts playing over the speakers as they stare at each other.

“You look lovely tonight.” Kryten tells him. Cat’s heart skips.

“ _ Lister, what did I tell you about eating in here?”  _ Rimmer’s voice comes over the speakers, speaking over the music and making Cat jump. “ _ You broke the speaker system.”  _

“ _ This wasn’t me, mate. I’m telling you, this ship’s wonky.”  _ Lister defends himself. 

The music stops and Cat glances uncertainly over at Kryten. 

‘ _ Just a coincidence.’  _ Cat thinks, rushing off quickly from the lower deck to return to his bedroom. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~**

3 nights later and Cat can’t sleep again. He’s dressed down - red silk pajamas, bun, same embroidered robe - and he keeps telling himself it’s not because Kryten told him he was lovely like that, but he knows it’s a lie. 

Cat leaves his quarters, heading back to the lower decks, knowing he won’t see Kryten but part of him still hopeful. He crawls up onto the same crate as before and looks out at the stars. He lays down after a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling instead. He watches the stars reflect on the dark dome of a ceiling above the catwalk. 

The coincidences are still happening. They haven’t grown any more frequent, but they haven’t lessened either. Rimmer and Lister are starting to lose their patience, and the whole thing’s pretty freaky, but Cat almost,  _ almost  _ finds it comforting, because it means they’re both still experiencing those heightened emotions around each other. Cat isn’t  _ alone  _ in his awareness of Kryten. 

Cat wipes a hand over his eyes. He’ll definitely give himself wrinkles at this rate. 

A throat clears and Cat, startled, sits up again, loose strands of hair falling out of his bun. He peeks over the side of the crate curiously, aware that there’s a risk of Lister or Rimmer there. When he sees Kryten, his body relaxes but his heart goes haywire. 

“Would you mind company?” Kryten asks. 

“No.” Cat says simply and returns to lying down as he listens to Kryten climb up the latter. Kryten walks across the crate and settles next to him. Cat looks up and sees Kryten taking him in, observing him in his disheveled state. 

“You look lovely.” Kryten says. 

“You said, a few nights ago.” Cat replies, unusually humble in his response. 

“I meant it then too.” Kryten tells him. 

Cat looks up at the ceiling. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Kryten asks. 

Cat’s offense at the acknowledgement that he’s spending time on something as needless as thinking is overtaken by another offense. “Is that all my thoughts are worth to you? A penny?” He asks, showing his fangs. 

Kryten rushes to fix the slight. “No, of course. It’s a common earth expression.” 

“Save it for the monkey.” Cat says. “His thoughts are worth a penny. They’re worth less than a penny. In fact, he should give us a penny every time we have to listen to him.” 

There’s a moment, and then Kryten’s smiling at him. “Will you tell me your thoughts?” He asks, gently. 

Cat frowns. “What about you?” He asks. “What are you always thinking about down here?” He asks. 

There’s a moment, a pause, as they look at each other. 

“You.” They both say at the same time. And for a fraction of a second, it feels uncomplicated. Simple. 

“Me?” Cat asks, sitting up and furrowing his brows. 

“You.” Kryten repeats. “Me?” He asks. 

Cat huffs. He shouldn’t have said anything.  

“This coincidence business...” Kryten starts.

Cat looks away from him and out, where all the cat houses used to be on the other ship, decades ago when there’d still been fledgling cats left to occupy even a small portion of space. He wouldn’t say he misses them - well, he wouldn’t  _ say  _ it. 

It’s awfully lonely on the ship - 4 beings, distinctly different, yet the only one of their kind. 

They’ve been silent for a while, Kryten picking up on his low mood and knowing to stay quiet while Cat sorts himself out. 

Cat reaches up and tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear.  He glances at the robot. It’s probably weird to experience  _ heightened emotions  _ for a mechanoid. But, well, it’s not like there’s anyone in space who can judge him for it - not even monkey and Goal Post Head, since he doesn’t care what they think anyway. “How do we stop it?” Cat asks. 

Kryten shrugs. “I’ve contained the crystals.” He says. “But I’m not really sure what else to do?”

Cat looks away again. 

_ Why do they experience such heightened emotions around each other?  _

“Cat…” Kryten starts, shifting. They both freeze, glancing down where Kryten’s hand has landed on top of Cat’s.

The speakers kick up again. “ _ Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near….”  _

Cat blinks. Kryten’s fingers are warmed by all the little wires and computer parts pumping heat through him. Kryten stares down too, where his pale, mechanoid fingers layer over the black, soft hand of Cat. 

“Er, I…” They both murmur. 

Cat’s heart skips. 

The music stops. Rimmer and Lister are yelling in the background. Cat keeps staring at Kryten as he feels butterflies flutter in his abdomen. 

“Why-” Cat starts, beginning to ask the question, the one that’s been on his mind for days now. 

“ _ Kryten!”  _ Rimmer’s voice calls through the speakers, summoning the robot to help with their newest problem. 

Cat’s going to let Goal Post Head have it next time he sees him. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~**

A few nights later, Cat’s back in the lower decks. He’s had a bath and his hair’s still a bit damp, falling out of the bun easily as the wet tendrils dry. He kicks his feet back and forth in irritation as he pulls the ribbon out, wishing he hadn’t left his comb back in his room. He’s in a gold silk suit this time and his floral-patterned dark red robe with blue highlights. He knows he has a comb in his other pajamas, but he makes a habit of not wearing the same outfit within the same month, and while he tries to keep as many combs as he has outfits, some have broken, so he is without a brush. 

Cat uses his fingers, smoothing the hair out. He’s nearly done when he hears Kryten calling up. The mechanoid ascends the ladder, and Cat pushes back his embarrassment as he straightens his locks. Kryten pauses a second when he sees Cat’s hair down and then he comes over. 

Cat grabs his ribbon to start putting his bun back in place, but Kryten reaches out, gently placing a hand on his wrist and stopping him. 

“I quite like your hair like that.” Kryten confesses. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to keep it down.”

“Oh.” Cat says, feeling uncharacteristically shy. He lowers his hands, abandoning the ribbon. “You can touch it, if you want.” He offers suddenly, not quite sure why he does, but not regretting it when he feels Kryten’s fingers begin to carefully explore the silk threads. He does resist the urge to purr though. 

“It’s beautiful.” Kryten says.  

“Of course!” Cat says, pride flowing through him. He wouldn’t have any other kind of hair. 

Kryten smiles as he strokes through his locks. 

“Do you come here every night?” Cat asks. 

“No.” Kryten says. 

“You just manage to come on the nights I’m here?” Cat asks. 

“Or vice versa.” Kryten points out. 

“It’s a coincidence.” They both say. 

It shouldn’t surprise either of them when the damn music starts up again. 

“I hate this song.” Cat says. 

“1 week ago, I would have said it was rather pleasant.” Kryten says. 

“And now?” Cat asks. 

“I hate it.” Kryten admits, an excited venom sneaking into his voice, the way it always does when he goes against his programming. 

Cat grins, fangs showing. Secretly, he still likes the song. He thinks Kryten probably does too, but it still feels pretty on the nose. 

Lister and Rimmer start arguing again. Kryten rolls his eyes and Cat smiles down at his lap. 

“I found Lister hitting on #23 today.” Kryten tells him, almost conspiratorially, as they ignore the two men. 

Cat frowns. “#23?” He asks. 

“The vending machine. The french one.” 

Cat nods in understanding. #23 is a very alluring machine - at least, voice-wise. Kryten isn’t, yet somehow, upon reluctant self-reflection, he finds that he still prefers Kryten’s company. “The monkey’s that desperate?” He asks. 

“Apparently.” Kryten admits. 

“Does she like him?” Cat asks, curious. He feels Kryten’s fingers stroking idly over his scalp and leans a little into it.

“I don’t know.” Kryten admits. “She can’t.” He decides. “She’s a vending machine. She’s programmed to serve coffee, not develop romantic intentions towards those she serves.”

Cat frowns a little. “What about you?” He asks. 

Kryten stills, looking at him. “Well, I...I don’t serve you.” He points out. 

Cat doesn’t think Kryten serves any of them, not really. Then again, he’s always had a bit of a different dynamic with the mechanoid, what with him being a cat and not necessarily registering on whatever hierarchy they programmed into Kryten. 

What’s of more import, however, is that Kryten just made it very clear that he has romantic intentions towards Cat. And here they are, back at that question. 

“Cat,” Kryten starts. “Would I be terribly remiss if I asked to kiss you?”

Cat’s heart thunders in his ears. He could make jokes or flippant comments, but instead he just says “No” and watches in frozen surprise as Kryten leans forward. 

Kryten cups Cat’s cheek, gently pushing a few strands of hair out of his face as he moves forward and lets his lips touch Cat’s. 

Their lips seem to sync up naturally, moving in mirrored tandem as they lean into each other. Cat’s hand rests on Kryten’s shoulder, feeling the sturdy build of the mechanism as they seem to kiss like they were made for each other’s mouths, even with Cat’s fangs, which usually get in the way, not managing to hinder them in the slightest. 

_ Why do they experience such heightened emotions around each other?  _

And suddenly, it all makes more sense. Cat, who’s never been much for thinking or feelings or introspection, feels like he finally gets it, now that Kryten’s lips are on his and that pleasant thrum is going through his chest.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~**

“This is why you’ve been playing that awful song on the speakers?” Rimmer asks, his face the height of disbelief as he gestures towards the screen, where the security cameras show Cat and Kryten in the lower decks. 

“Yeah, man. I’m helping them find love.” 

“Love?” Rimmer says. “Between a cat and a glorified dishwasher? That’s positively perverted!”

“It’s not perverted, Rimmer!” Lister says. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Lister, hear you me, that is a disaster waiting to happen. The workplace fraternization alone is going to involve a lot of paperwork!”

“Just leave ‘em alone, man.” Lister tells him, tone serious. 

Rimmer huffs, nostrils flaring, but acquiesces by turning his attention to berating Lister for tampering with equipment and purposefully misleading a superior. 


End file.
